A way to see a mesh in object mode while editing UVs?
If this helps, you can change the color &amp; transparency of that editing mode, adjusting it to let you see what's below. 

See in User preferences Themes settings



If it's a temporary change, just don't save user preferences, and it will be reset at next program start, or new file.

Edit:
I'm adding a screenshot of the alternative setup I suggested in the comments: